by Ani Bundel
Superman & Lois has been one of the few superhero TV shows from the CW’s lineup that never got the San Diego Comic-Con treatment. The show went into production just before the pandemic, and after virtual years and a strike, 2024 is the show’s first year in-person.
The series, which is in its final season (and will be the last of the superhero series from Greg Berlanti to conclude on the CW), finally got to experience ecstatic fans in Hall H, opening the Saturday lineup of panels.
Moderator Damien Holbrook brought out executive producers Brent Fletcher and Todd Helbing, plus actors Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch, who play the titular couple.
Much like Friday’s The Boys panel, Holbrook’s questions were not limited to the upcoming season but the entire Superman & Loisrun, since this was the first time it was getting to the correct panel. The questions even covered the original meeting between the actors on a different Berlanti show, Supergirl—they knew if they hit it off, the plan was to spin them off to their standalone series—and the decision to have such a different look from the rest of the Arrowverse.
One discussion point was the choice to set Superman & Lois in a different multiverse than the one in which the rest of the shows are set. The producers admitted this was less of a creative choice than the one they were forced into due to the pandemic. The inability to cross over characters in the show’s first two seasons would have felt wrong and weird, and fans would have asked questions.
However, the creators quickly realized that resetting Superman & Lois in a different multiverse allowed the show to do what it wanted rather than worrying about what four other shows were up to. Considering how different the show looks (and feels), it made sense. (Holbrook joked that it kept Supergirl from showing up and asking why everything was so washed-out in Kansas.)
Hoechlin was asked many questions about taking on the Superman role and why he chose to do the series. He admitted he’d initially turned it down—Superman was so done, and it would be hard to put your spin on it. It wasn’t until Berlanti told him it’s not a superhero series, “It’s Friday Night Lights where dad happens to have powers.” But when he was asked about being fitted for the suit, he hesitated, clearly embarrassed.
Asked about her take on Lois, Tulloch, who goes by Bitsie, cited the character’s history, that she was introduced in 1938 beside Superman. In a time when women didn’t work, her ball-busting attitude was so progressive for the era. She said she felt honored to portray the character from the first.
With the show in its final season, Helbing admitted it gave them free rein to go all out since there’s no next season to worry about, so they decided to open the new season with the death of Superman. After thanking the fans who sat out all day and all night to be in the room today, Tulloch said that she knew there was disappointment the show only went four rounds but that she trusts James Gunn and believes in the new vision for the DC Universe.
Superman & Lois Season 4 premieres on the CW on Thursday, October 17.
Stay tuned for more SDCC ’24 coverage from The Beat.
